Sharks set sights on top-two finish after downing Tigers

The Cronulla Sharks have put the rest of the top eight on notice, with a huge 36-12 win against the Wests Tigers on Saturday night.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Scully Park in Tamworth, the Sharks’ six tries to two win sees them jump up to equal second on the NRL ladder and perfectly commemorate the 150^th NRL game for Cameron McInnes.

They will now have their eyes set on a top two spot, with their next three matches against bottom eight teams. The second-placed North Queensland Cowboys lost to the Sydney Roosters in the earlier game and are set to face Penrith in the last round.

It was an outstanding first-half effort from the Sharks, who were exciting in attack and solid in defence. They were able to make easy meters and constantly kept applying pressure to their opposition.

Nicho Hynes continues to shine as halfback, guiding his team around the park beautifully and making the most metres out of either side with 203. He has also improved immensely in the goal-kicking department, converting 6 of 7.

The win was however soured after Toby Rudolf left the field late in the game was a suspected MC injury that could see him sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

The Tigers who are desperate to avoid the wooden spoon, were a far cry from the side that upset the Broncos two weeks ago. They showed some spark throughout the 80 minutes but not enough to catch fire. Fullback Daine Laurie was one of the best from the losing side, safe under the high ball and always full of effort.

A penalty goal not long before the half time break gave the Sharks a 26-6 lead heading into the sheds.

The second half started off slow, with the Sharks seemingly taking their foot off the pedal. They were eventually the first on the board when Braden Hamlin-Uele barged over for a four-pointer in the 52^nd minute. Tigers returned serve when Luke Garner made a bust from the 20m line and scored in the corner.

But it wasn’t long until Cronulla were back on the attack and a Jesse Ramien try saw the Sharks leap out to a 36-12 lead.

When Teig Wilton was sent to the sin bin with eleven minutes on the clock, Brent Naden thought he had capitalised on the one-man advantage and broke straight through the Sharks defence to score. But the bunker had other ideas and ruled a ‘no-try’ due to obstruction.

Cronulla were able to keep the Tigers at bay while down to 12 men to take out the 24-point win.